In large wine ageing cellars, the casks are piled or stacked in resting position, i.e. with their bases placed according to vertical planes, such that the casks of the lower level rest between pairs of beams parallelly arranged on the ground and suitably wedged in order to prevent their movement.
The next levels of casks are obtained by means of the support thereof, one between another, remaining arranged in a staggered manner, always using wedges, and being stacked up to wherever necessary.
This system of stacking has various drawbacks, such as the difficult accessibility and handling of the casks, the deformation of the casks in the lower levels and the lack of safety in the stability of the casks, given that in the event of a wedge having a fault, a sliding and collapse may occur with the consequent danger for the cellar operators.
In order to solve the aforementioned problems, Spanish Utility Model with publication number ES1040068U, of the same applicant, claims a cask support constituted of a modular structure based on stringers and crossbeams of rectangular configuration, on the corners of which tubular parts have been vertically arranged in order to removably receive the attachment of corresponding vertical columns, whilst these tubular parts rely on hollow conical support legs on their lower end in order to receive, in the stacking with another support, the upper end of the vertical columns of the lower support, determining the modularity of the latter; a pair of longitudinal sections having been provided, forming part of the structure itself, preferably arranged corresponding with the upper edge of the stringers of the structure, in the profiles of which concavities are formed for the stable support of the casks. Furthermore, the structure supports two casks collaterally arranged with one another in a stable manner.
Likewise, the applicant is also the holder of the European Patents with publication numbers EP1057735B1 and EP1066772B1, wherein, with modifications of Utility Model ES1040068U, the cask supports can be assembled together with a considerable lateral displacement, forming a staggered arrangement which provides advantages in terms of facilitating the accessibility and mobility of the casks and a shorter height of the vertical columns or posts.
Finally, the applicant is also the holder of the European Patent with publication number EP1036525B1, claiming a cask support with a base structure, of a rectangular outline with seatings for a pair of laterally adjacent casks, having four wheels with rotational freedom arranged on the end of respective arms suitably integral with the base structure, such that the wheels stabilise and allow the rotation of the casks on their own axis with little effort. In this way, access to the entire surface of the deposited casks and the rotation thereof is facilitated even more than in the European Patents EP1057735B1 and EP1066772B1.